Happy Fourth of July, You Wonderful Country!

As Stephen Waldman writes in his definitive book on the subject, "Founding Faith," the American Revolution was "powerfully shaped by the Great Awakening," an evangelical revival in the Colonies in the early 1700s, led by famous Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards, among others.

Townhall

Ann Coulter  "It has become fashionable to equate the French and American Revolutions, but they share absolutely nothing beyond the word "revolution." The American Revolution was a movement based on ideas, painstakingly argued by serious men in the process of creating what would become the freest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world. (Until Democrats decided to give it away to the Third World.)

"The French Revolution was a revolt of the mob. It was the primogenitor of the horrors of the Bolshevik Revolution, Hitler's storm troopers, Mao's Cultural Revolution, Pol Pot's slaughter and America's periodic mob uprisings, from Shays' Rebellion to the current attacks on White House employees and Trump supporters.

"The French Revolution is the godless antithesis to the founding of America.

"One rather important difference is that Americans did win freedom with their revolution and created a self-governing republic.

"France's revolution consisted of pointless, bestial savagery, followed by another monarchy, followed by Napoleon's dictatorship and then finally something resembling an actual republic 80 years later. Both revolutions are said to have come from the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers, the American Revolution influenced by the writings of John Locke and the French Revolution informed by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This is like saying presidents Reagan and Obama both drew on the ideas of 20th-century economists -- Reagan on the writings of Milton Friedman and Obama on the writings of Paul Krugman." . . .
(I love Coulter's refined sarcasm.)

Our revolutionary symbol is the Liberty Bell, rung to summon the citizens of Philadelphia to a public reading of the just-adopted Declaration of Independence. The symbol of the French Revolution is the "National Razor" -- the guillotine

Michael Moore will need a lot of "skulls full of mush"

http://www.terrellaftermath.com/

Michael Moore: I'll surround Capitol with 'a million other people' to protest Supreme Court pick  "Liberal documentary filmmaker Michael Moore says that he would "join a million other people surrounding the United States Capitol" to prevent President Trump's forthcoming Supreme Court nominee from being confirmed." . . .

The real meaning of Democrats’ Supreme Court panic  . . . "The judicial branch was never meant to act as a superlegislature, using the verbiage of the Constitution in order to implement preferred policy prescriptions. In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton expressed the idea well: “The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body.” Substituting will for judgment would make the case for utterly dissolving the judicial branch.

"Yet according to the Democrats, the Supreme Court should exercise will instead of judgment. The role of the court, according to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, is to help expedite change in our society: “Our society would be strait-jacketed were not the courts, with the able assistance of the lawyers, constantly overhauling the law and adapting it to the realities of ever-changing social, industrial and political conditions.” Justice Elena Kagan believes the same thing, which is why she constantly describes the Constitution as “abstract,” leaving her room to interpret it as poetry rather than statute." . . .

Today's protest marchers are not heroes  . . . "These fun-filled protests should not be confused with actually doing something meaningful, and the protesters should not be greeted as “heroes.”  They have no real skin in the game.  It's not as if they are actually risking anything or facing any adverse consequences for their actions.  They are not civil rights activists in the South facing off against the pit bulls of Alabama sheriffs.  They are not Muhammed Ali giving up the world championship to protest the war in Vietnam.  And they certainly should not be compared to members of the underground “Resistance” (a term today’s protesters have obscenely appropriated) during World War II who risked their lives and the lives of their families in armed combat against the vastly superior forces of the German Reich.  What is at stake in getting arrested in the comfort of the Hart Office Building and paying a $50.00 fine? These are not heroes.  These are not Resistance fighters.  These are just hipster millennials missing yoga class so that they can all feel good about themselves when the day is done and post about it on social media. " . . .

People such as these, perhaps: North Carolina Social Justice Activist: Boycott July 4, Crash Other People's Cookouts

History as Nothing Much at All

Victor Davis Hanson

If everything is like the Nazis, then the Nazis of history are no different from an ICE officer, a White House staffer, or . . . you and me.  

Demagoguery

"Former CIA director Michael Hayden recently tweeted a picture of a Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, with his commentary: “Other governments have separated mothers from children.” The suggestion was that industrialized death on an unprecedented scale was somehow similar to the temporary detention of children once their parents have been detained for violating federal law.

"Actor Peter Fonda recently advised the following about Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller: “Don’t let the pedophile Stephen Goebbels Miller near those girls separated from their parents.” Comedian Kathy Griffin has asserted that the Trump administration is “quite pro-Nazi.”

"Fonda perhaps lacks the subtlety of a Bill Kristol, who implies rather than sledgehammers the Nazi comparisons. When Michael Anton, a writer whose articles often appeared in The Weekly Standard, went to work for the Trump administration, Kristol reduced Anton to the status of an infamous Nazi lawyer: “Carl Schmitt to Mike Anton: First time tragedy, second time farce.”

"Sounds slick, but Anton was working for an elected government in general and in particular for a National Security Council under Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster that was trying to reestablish U.S. deterrence. Stranger still, it is hard to understand how Carl Schmitt’s Nazi-party membership and advocacy (begun formally as early as 1933) were in any sense “tragic” rather than vile. And if the subordinate is supposedly Carl Schmitt, what then would Kristol call his boss, the iconic McMaster? Goebbels? Heydrich?" . . .

History is now following a sort of Gresham’s law: Lots of cheap, bad history drives out what is left of good history.In other words, when almost everything and everyone is analogous to Belzec, Sobibór, and Treblinka and their architects, then Belzec, Sobibór, and Treblinka become almost nothing at all.

Quick looks at some things

Kylie Jenner Gets Trashed For Wishing Caitlyn Jenner A Happy Father's Day  "My dad is my dad, but he’s not there physically anymore. But she lets me call her dad — that’s the last little piece of dad I’ve got," she said.
"Talk about heartbreaking. Clearly, the transition has deeply affected the entire family, especially Kylie and Kendall"

Sidwell Friends Teacher Harasses Scott Pruitt At A Restaurant  . . . “I just wanted to urge you to resign, because of what you’re doing to the environment in our country,” Mink said, holding her two-year-old son and a notepad, as her husband recorded the encounter." . . . We'll watch for her on a late-night talk show; you know: the kind where the host has an applause sign.


Vandals Throw Brick Through Nebraska GOP Office, Scrawl “Abolish ICE” In Front  . . . "Prominent Democrats across the country have been whipping up support for abolishing U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), in an appeal to the party’s left-wing base." . . .

Man Who Threatened Rand Paul And His Family Identified  . . . "While [Nathanial Blaine] Luffman’s alleged victim is not named in court records describing the threats, U.S. Capitol Police describe him as an Oregon elected official with an office at a federal building in Portland. The court records also say the suspect has been associated with “other known threatening communications to members of Congress." . . .

Less than one-third of Democrats are “extremely proud” to be Americans

The FBI has arrested a man who told an undercover agent that he was planning to bomb a Fourth of July parade in Cleveland, Ohio.

Virtue-signalling:  Indianapolis Church Puts Holy Family In Cage In olidarity With Detained Illegal Aliens

Celeb Moonbat Bette Midler Blames “Climate Deniers” For Warm Weather…

Of course, some blame July.

Then again, maybe it's Israel's fault: 

Iran Blames Israel For Stealing Clouds:  Israel lives rent-free inside the heads of the ayatollahs and Obama

Surely you've heard of the #WalkAway movement?

As of this posting.

Even in the face of dealing with the evil of North Korea and the Ayatollahs of Iran, the left is willing to tolerate ending Trump's efforts in these matters to spite him. The left would rather have murderous, threatening dictators and Obama rather than Trump or any - any - Republican. If we dare think President Trump's absence would bring civility back, then we are too naive to possess a Republic such as this. TD

Straka

Viral ‘Walk Away’ Videos Highlight Growing Movement of Democrats Leaving the Party  . . . "Meet Brandon Straka, the unlikely liberator and new faceof the “silent minority” of Americans who’ve been cast out by family and friends, fired from jobs, and forced into silent social ghettos for their failure to “get it” about how hateful and dangerous Donald Trump is, and why he and all his supporters should be subjected to an ever-expanding social and professional fatwah." . . .

When actor James Woods tweeted out the hashtag “#WalkAway” in late June, even the alt-right missed the enormity of what lay beneath it. The Democratic Party had, in fact, struck an iceberg.
Some 5 million people on Facebook and YouTube have seen the video by now. A very handsome gay man, who you just assume is about to scold you on progressive talking points, instead says this:
“Once upon a time, I was a liberal. Well, to be honest, less than a year ago, I was still a liberal.
“I reject a system which allows an ambitious, misinformed and dogmatic mob to suppress free speech, create false narratives, and apathetically steamroll over the truth.”
And then this devastating line—the Rosa Parks moment of the video:
“I reject hate.”
If Democratic strategists were still able to watch the rest of the video without suffering a nervous breakdown, they’d see that it quickly got worse.
“These are the reasons why I became a liberal. And these are the same reasons why I am now walking away.”

The #Walkaway Facebook page

Why I joined #WalkAway  "I recently joined the #WalkAway Facebook group and was moved reading a number of posts from former lifelong Democrats by members of just about every minority group imaginable (LGBT, black, Latino, Jewish, Muslim, etc.).  They are done with the Democratic Party, figuratively walking away from it.  They have finally woken up to the fact that the party has veered too far left and suffers from a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. " . . .

" . . . A couple of years later, many delegates at the national convention booed when G-d and Israel were mentioned.  I will never vote for a Democrat in a national race again. "   Also here.

PJ Media: #WalkAway Campaign Urges Fed-Up Democrats to Leave the Party

. . . "He said the reason he was so devastated was because he believed all of the media lies about Trump being a "racist, bigot, sexist, homophobe, sexual predator.""He said his evolution away from the lies began when he saw a video that exposed the lie that Trump had made fun of a reporter's disability."It's a compilation of footage going back to like the nineties," Straka told Harris. "It's him doing that exact same voice, and that exact same gesture numerous times when he's talking about numerous people in numerous situations," he explained." . . .

Breitbart claims the movement "goes viral"  "The #Walkaway movement that began with a popular Facebook video featuring a gay hairdresser in New York City explaining why he was leaving the Democratic Party has quickly morphed into a major force on social media and beyond. ' . . .

"The movement has been especially successful because its spokespersons have not been the sort typically associated with conservativism. Young and old, black and white, men and women, gay and straight—the campaign seems to elude stereotypes and pigeonholing.

"The popular young conservative commentator C.J. Pearson, for instance, has given the movement a significant push by highlighting the Democratic Party’s racist past. “The Democratic Party is the party of slavery. The party of Jim Crow. The party of segregation. The party of the KKK,” Pearson tweeted Saturday.“  " 'Democrats walked away from black folks long ago. Now, it’s our time to #WalkAway,” he added." . . .

Pompeo to head to North Korea as doubts mount about its intentions

Reuters  "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will leave for North Korea on Thursday seeking agreement on a plan for the country’s denuclearization, despite mounting doubts about Pyongyang’s willingness to abandon a weapons program that threatens the United States and its allies.

"North Korea has consistently refused in past rounds of failed negotiations to provide an inventory of its weapons program, and U.S. intelligence remains uncertain of how many nuclear warheads North Korea has.

"The Defense Intelligence Agency has a high end estimate of about 50 nuclear warheads. But U.S. intelligence agencies believe Pyongyang is concealing an unknown number, including smaller tactical nuclear weapons, in caves and other underground facilities around the country." . . .

Trump has sought to make Waters, one of the fiercest critics of his administration, the face of the Democratic Party

Miguel Guanipa

UK Daily Mail  . . . "But he hit Democrats heavily, particularly Waters, who he has repeatedly gone after ever since she called on the public to assail his administration officials when they see them.
. . . 

"One Democrat on that committee told The Hill that a few members of the panel are worried that Waters' recent remarks about confronting administration officials are a sign that she's itching to lead a crusade against Trump.

" 'We've got a division because some people are very concerned that she's going to be pushing an ideological agenda,' said the lawmaker. 'We can have disagreements on the substance, and that's fine. I just want to make sure it doesn't become like a show.'  

"And Waters has acknowledged her enhance public role as a Trump critic and the dangers that come with it.

"Over the weekend she warned would-be assassins that if they intend to target her, they 'better shoot straight.' 

" 'I know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me,' Waters during a rally on Saturday.

" 'All I have to say is this, if you shoot me you better shoot straight, there's nothing like a wounded animal.' "

Maxine Waters is done with 'nice guy politics'  
. . . From the perspective of some House Democrats, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has the right message. She’s just not always the best messenger.
"The Los Angeles lawmaker’s early calls for President Trump’s impeachment and viral showdowns with administration officials have endeared Waters to the party’s young, liberal base. And those stances have also garnered the respect of many House Democrats, who admire how Waters, 79, sticks to her political convictions.
. . . 
"Yet her most recent remarks — encouraging public confrontation with Cabinet members — rankled some of those colleagues and raised concerns about how Waters would handle increased authority if Democrats regain control of the House in November." . . .

The Rodney King riots taught us not to make her voters angry. Just ask truck driver Reginald Denny  TD

Ocasio-Cortez may be a phony, but is still leftist enough for the northeast

Monica Showalter: Vaunted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is damaged goods now  . . . "This is a dramatic turnaround.  Ocasio's youth, hipsterly pert campaign literature, and fresh-faced good looks had, up until a few days ago, been hailed as sign that Democrats' fortunes were turning upward, socialism was alive, and a blue wave was building after all.  Ocasio used her ethnicity to draw ethnic voters, and while her ethnicity itself is not in question, her supposed common shared experience with those voters is.  She's not going to serve the Bronx and Queens as Jenny from the block, shoveling pork as the locals like.  She's more likely to serve as their disdainful college professor, spouting snowflake-friendly admonitions and going green, as befits her real background."

Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a racist? Good grief, are conservatives using that accusation too?

. . . "Instead of being truthful, the progressive politician, raised in Yorktown Heights, portrayed herself as a Marxist "from the block," so to speak." . . .

Obama Not Going Away

Powerline  "Our relative freedom from the sound of Obama’s voice should not mislead us into thinking he has retreated into postpresidential respectability. We know that’s not his way. In the New York Post column “The myth of Obama’s disappearance,” Paul Sperry documents in excruciating detail that he is still out there seeking fundamental transformation. He’s not going anywhere. He hasn’t changed his stripes. He means to put us back on the road he left us on. He reminds us that history does not trace an inevitable arc. It’s in our hands."

The myth of Obama’s ‘disappearance’  . . . "Obama is doing far more to shape the political landscape than is visible. In fact, for an ex-prez, he’s taking an unusually active role in politics, including helping radical protest groups fight Trump and his policies and devising a scheme to flip the GOP majority in the House and permanently turn red seats blue.

"From his sprawling DC office not far from the White House, where he oversees a full-time staff of 20, Obama has held regular meetings with Democratic lawmakers, as well as DNC chief Tom Perez, whom he personally helped install to run the Democratic Party. Obama has also met with his attorney general, Eric Holder, to craft a strategy to redraw congressional district maps in Democrats’ favor, according to Politico. Holder now runs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which Obama helped his old friend launch." . . .

Chris Wallace Calls Out Media for ‘Outrageous’ Attempt to Connect Trump to Shooting

Daily Signal

"Chris Wallace slammed media outlets on “Fox News Sunday” for trying to connect President Donald Trump to the newsroom shooting at Capital Gazette in Maryland.

"Wallace played a clip of reporters yelling at Trump on the South Lawn of the White House as they tried to establish a link between the deadly massacre and his treatment of the media.

“ 'I have been very outspoken about President Trump calling the media the enemy of the American people, I think it’s wrong,” Wallace said.

“ 'But I have to say that that spectacle that we saw on the South Lawn—and some reporters in any way trying to draw a link between his comments about the media to the shooting in Annapolis of five reporters in a newspaper office, a shooter apparently with a long grudge against that paper, I think is outrageous. Am I wrong?” he asked.

“ 'We’re in a new environment,” Jason Riley of The Wall Street Journal replied. “On the left particularly, blame Trump, ask questions later. That’s the new mode that the press operates in.' ” . . .

Louisiana Democrat Party Chair Karen Carter Peterson Throws In With Maxine Waters

The Hayride   "Last week we had several days of outrage over the deranged statements of Los Angeles Democrat congresswoman Maxine Waters, who suggested that her supporters should intensify the unpleasant behavior various left-wingers have displayed toward members of the Trump administration and those who support the president. There is now a move in Congress to censure Waters and demand her resignation, one of the co-authors of which is Louisiana’s 5th District congressman Ralph Abraham.

"But it appears the state’s Democrats weren’t put off by Waters’ behavior, nor are they on board with the idea of shelving her as a political figure. Quite the contrary. State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, who chairs the Louisiana Democrat Party, tweeted this yesterday…

#IstandwithMaxine It’s egregious how POTUS & fellow Americans r treating our proven leader, @RepMaxineWaters As an Af Am Woman, senator & DNC official…there is no way I will sit idly by while she is disparaged & disrespected. @TheDemocrats must step up & defend OUR champion!

"Our proven leader"? 

Newsroom murderer leads "free press" to once more show its true colors: leftist propaganda

Trump encourages attacks on media? I see the media spawning attacks on President Trump and all who stand by him. TD
What about the MSM's role in this incident?

Shameless CNN anchor tries to bait Capital Gazette employee into blaming Trump for shooting   

"The indisputable fact that the deranged shooter’s beef with the Annapolis Capital Gazette predated Donald Trump’s entry into politics was no obstacle to blaming the president for the newsroom massacre on CNN’s airwaves.  But’s one thing to irrationally attribute causality for a cable news anchor, but quite another to attempt to lure a near-victim of the shooting into that obsession." . . .

10 Despicable Attacks Blaming President Trump for the Annapolis Capital Gazette Shooting
. . . "On Thursday, a middle-aged white man with a grudge targeted the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md. He killed five people and injured two others. Before his motives became known, both liberals and conservatives assumed a political motive. Many liberals went so far as to directly blame President Donald Trump for the shooting.

"(I will not name the shooter, because the desire for notoriety drives mass shooters. You can read about him here, although it will be enough to say his motives were personal, not political.)" . . .
But this writer has to address these issues first:

Trump has occasionally egged on his supporters to violence in rallies, and that is unacceptable. It is utterly absurd to blame the president for the Annapolis shooting, however.
Before listing the worst liberal attacks — and yes, I am getting there, don't worry — I have to mention alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos' rightly infamous text wishing death upon journalists. "I can't wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight," Yiannopoulos wrote.
Whatever you think of Yiannopoulos, this text is disgusting and has no place in civil discourse. It is unclear just how broadly Yiannopoulos intended his words to go — it was a text message, so perhaps he did not intend anyone but the direct recipient to see it. Even so, this was despicable. Similarly absurd was Sean Hannity's decisionto blame Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) — who deserves condemnation for urging harassment on Trump staffers — for the Annapolis shooting.